Musa Pedestris

Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse

Llewelyn Morgan

Presents a powerful argument for the relevance, and interest, of the metrical dimension of Latin poems

Integrates the previously separated disciplines of metrics and literary criticism

Covers Latin poetry from the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD, overcoming arbitrary divisions between literary ages

Musa Pedestris

Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse

Llewelyn Morgan

Description

A characteristic of Greek and Latin poetry (sometimes an intimidating one) is the variety of metrical shapes it can adopt. Llewelyn Morgan offers an accessible account of some of the most common of these metres in Roman poetry, and explains how the poets can exploit them to support, supplement, or indeed drive the meaning of the poems they carry. Metre is revealed as an aspect of Roman poetry which is every bit as creative as its word play, and new insights are given to a range of Roman poems, from reassessments of familiar poems by Catullus and Horace to explanations of the remarkable artistry underlying less mainstream works by Martial, Statius, and Lucilius.

Musa Pedestris

Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse

Llewelyn Morgan

Table of Contents

Introduction: the iconography of metre 1: The hendecasyllable: an abbreviated history 2: Iambics: the short and the long of it 3: `Narrower circuits': the sapphic stanza 4: The dactylic hexameter and its detractors Conclusion

Musa Pedestris

Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse

Llewelyn Morgan

Author Information

Llewelyn Morgan, University Lecturer in Classical Languages and Literature, Oxford University, and Fellow of Brasenose College

Musa Pedestris

Metre and Meaning in Roman Verse

Llewelyn Morgan

Reviews and Awards

"All composers of Latin verse should read Llewelyn Morgan's Musa Pedestris. It is quite simply the best book ever written on Latin metrics." - Barry Baldwin, Vates, Journal of New Latin Poetry

"This brilliant book will be of considerable interest to all readers of Roman poetry. Wielding a vast array of metrical scholarship and possessed of a fine literary sensibility ... splendidly presented." - James Morwood, Journal of Classics Teaching

"Excellent and timely ... While there is much to be learned from the minutiae scattered throughout the book, Morgan's main mission is much more ambitious, for he argues that the poet's choice of metre is a catalyst, giving the alert reader certain specific expectations about the tone and content of the poem as a whole ... Although the book is written as a wake-up call to critics, Morgan presents his arguments in an admirably non-confrontational style, and is always aware of the subjectivity inherent and inevitable in his thesis." - J.C McKeown, Times Literary Supplement

"a rewarding and a genuine stimulus for future research. ... M's eloquent defence of why and how 'metre matters' can only be salutary to modern classical scholarship more broadly." - David Butterfield, Journal of Roman Studies

"Musa Pedestris is full of learning and contains much of value" - Richard F. Thomas, Phoenix